How to play
How to play Gin Rummy
Step-by-step Gin Rummy for a first table, including what the Tilehaus interface expects you to click.
Before the first tile
Open the Gin Rummy table. Choose seat count 2. For a first game, enable bots so empty seats still take their turns.
Count deadwood every draw
If knocking with 8 while the opponent is at 2, you will be undercut. Gin is always safe from undercut.
Watch the discard
Never throw a card adjacent to a run the opponent is building. Early in the hand, dump high deadwood even if it might have been a pair.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to what people search — for Google, voice, and assistants.
How many cards do you get in gin rummy?
Ten each from a 52-card deck. After every turn you discard one card, so you still hold ten when you knock or go gin. Ace is low (1 point); faces are 10 deadwood.
How do you knock in gin rummy?
After you discard, you may knock if unmatched deadwood is 10 points or less. The opponent then lays off leftover cards on your melds. If their remaining deadwood is lower than yours, they undercut you.
What is gin in gin rummy?
Gin is a knock with zero deadwood — every card in a set or run. Gin typically scores a 25-point bonus plus the opponent’s unmatched deadwood. Gin cannot be undercut.
What is an undercut in gin rummy?
If you knock and the opponent’s remaining deadwood is less than or equal to yours, they win the hand. Tilehaus awards them a 25-point undercut bonus plus the difference. Knocking with 8 when they hold 2 is how you lose a “won” hand.
How many players is gin rummy?
Two. That is the 1909 New York game credited to Elwood T. Baker. Oklahoma gin and Hollywood gin are scoring variants of the same two-player hand.
What score do you play to in gin rummy?
Usually 100 points. Tilehaus uses a 100-point match with 25-point gin and undercut bonuses. Some boxes play to 250 for a longer night.
How long does gin rummy take?
A single hand is often 5–10 minutes. A match to 100 is 15–30 minutes. Hollywood (three-column) scoring stretches an evening.
Can you play gin rummy online free?
Yes. Tilehaus has a two-player gin table in the browser. Sit with a bot or a friend. The same meld language — sets and runs — carries over if you later sit at Tile Rummy.